Tag Archives: Supply

U.S. factory activity in December plunged to a four-year low as new orders, production and employment declined sharply from November 2018 levels. Even the electronics industry, which struggled to meet component demand for the entirety of last year, abruptly hit the brakes. “Growth appears to have stopped,” a computer and electronics executive told the Institute for…

U.S. purchasing and supply executives are entering 2019 with a bit less enthusiasm than 2018, although optimism remains strong for the next calendar year. Sixty-four percent of U.S. manufacturers polled by the Institute for Supply Management expect their revenue will grow by 5.7 percent in 2019, compared with the 5.1 percent increase predicted for 2018.…

As the electronics industry plows through calendar Q4, murmurs of uncertainty around 2019 are surfacing. Analysts say there’s a possibility that demand for electronic components will cool in 2019, and tariffs continue to fuel uncertainty throughout the electronics supply chain. “Semiconductor memory ASPs are going to fall. Semiconductor sales are going to decline. The U.S…

The causes, effects and implications of “The Great Component Shortage of 2018” have been thoroughly analyzed. The automotive and IoT industries have been driving unprecedented demand for smaller and more efficient passive electronics, which in turn has stretched lead times for these once- commoditized components to the breaking point. What hasn’t been discussed, however, is the equal…

DRAM supply and demand is so volatile that memory production, prices and availability are often measured separately from other semiconductor products. The electronics industry is currently in the midst of shortages of many critical components. An injunction, which has halted U.S.memory manufacturer Micron Technology from producing certain DRAM and SSD products in China, may press an…

Although the value of mergers between semiconductor companies declined in 2017, the two-dozen deals that were consummated last year will have a long-term impact on the supply chain. As chip companies merge, overlapping product lines are often discontinued and the vendor base available to purchasing organizations is decreased by one. Combined with an uptick in…

Even as a pro-business tax reform bill awaits its fate, U.S. manufacturers are investing toward growth. Capital expenditures by U.S. factories outpaced expectations in 2017 and will increase further next year. U.S. manufacturers experienced 11 straight months of growth from January through November, driving the nation’s 2017 purchasing index to 57.4 percent from 51.5 last year.…

As Baby Boomers make way for Millennials in the high-tech workforce, a new generation gap is yawning. The population reared in the digital age is engaging with colleagues whose golden rule is face-to-face communication. The current electronics market will test the skills of both generations. The electronics supply chain hasn’t faced a severe components shortage…

As the DDR4 DRAM generation begins to replace the DDR3, the memory market is becoming more volatile. Thanks in part to this shift to higher-speed DRAM, IC Insights has upgraded its 2017 DRAM market forecast to $57.3 billion; a 39 percent increase over 2016. DDR4 DRAM represented 45 percent of total DRAM sales in 2016.…

As evidenced by Brexit and the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, economic nationalism is on the rise. Industries such as electronics have spent decades building and finetuning a vast network of global supply chains. If globalization is facing a backlash — and experts attest that it is — longstanding supply relationships are about to get…